British Educational Research Journal最新文献

The Covid-19 pandemic and its sequalae mark the genesis of persistently high absenteeism in primary and secondary schools across the UK. Emotionally based school avoidance (EBSA) is documented as contributing to increased absenteeism. Early intervention is required to prevent this pattern of activity from becoming entrenched. As such, this systematic review aimed to identify effective school partnered interventions for EBSA in UK primary and secondary aged learners. Inclusion criteria dictated that only English language, peer reviewed studies pertaining to interventions targeting attendance in UK primary and secondary school aged students were eligible for review. Only systematic reviews were excluded; all other research methodologies were eligible for inclusion. Searches were conducted in June 2024 to August 2024 using the following databases: ERIC, PsycInfo and Web of Science. Database searches yielded 2154 records, of which seven met the inclusion criteria following full-text screening. Meta-analysis was not appropriate to this review, so findings were outlined narratively. Seven studies were eligible for inclusion, with two later excluded based on appraisal of study quality using the MMAT. Analysed studies were comprised of one randomised controlled trial, one quasi-experimental study and three qualitative studies. Risk of bias was assessed using Joanna Briggs Institute checklists. Evidence of intervention effectiveness could not be ascertained owing to the few studies eligible for analysis, in addition to concern pertaining to methodological rigour. A recurrent theme of reviewed studies was that of a punitive education culture in response to absenteeism. This finding warrants further exploration in future research.

Although global education policies increasingly emphasise the importance of teachers' digital literacy, there is still limited understanding of how to effectively enhance their digital competencies, particularly within organisational contexts. This study analyses a sample of teachers from PISA 2022 (N = 68,054) using hierarchical linear regression and structural equation modelling to investigate the complex relationship between organisational support and teachers' digital literacy. The findings reveal that teachers' overall digital literacy is moderate, with relatively strong performance in using digital technologies to improve teaching effectiveness. However, areas such as educational interaction and feedback still require improvement. Multiple models confirm that organisational support positively influences teachers' digital literacy, reinforcing its critical role in professional development. Theoretically, this study expands the application of organisational support theory in education, providing valuable insights for advancing digital education. From a practical perspective, the results suggest that policymakers and educational leaders should ensure adequate organisational support, offer diverse digital training and assessment programmes, establish open digital communication platforms and reduce the digital divide between younger and more experienced teachers.

In the era of digital education, enhancing faculty members’ technology integration has become a primary concern in higher education. This study aimed to examine the relationship between faculty members’ perceptions of their deans’ technology leadership practices and their integration of technology into teaching. An online survey was conducted among faculty members of second-level colleges within higher education institutions in Wenzhou, China, ensuring a diverse and representative sample. A further sample of eight faculty members was then interviewed to supplement the findings from the survey, and to enable a deeper exploration of the underlying interactive mechanism concerning leadership practices and faculty members’ technology integration competency. The results revealed a significant correlation between various dimensions of faculty members’ perception of deans’ technology leadership and their technology integration, as well as pinpointing specific areas where deans’ leadership practices could be enhanced, including modelling citizen behaviours, strategic planning, policy orientation, feedback input, professional development and resource support relating to professional growth. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of how leadership practices can shape the technological development within educational institutions, offering valuable insights for academic leaders and providing a foundation for future studies on technology integration in higher education.

The introduction of artificial intelligence (AI) into education holds promise for supporting and augmenting teaching and learning-related activities. Yet, despite its potential, there is limited empirical research on the use of AI in K-12 settings exploring the pedagogical grounding, impact and implications of the technological solutions. The current paper reports a systematic literature review of 28 papers that addresses the topic of AI technologies in authentic settings. We applied etic and emic content analysis to the collected data. Our results indicated that most AI research is conducted in China and the United States, and investigates AI solutions for primary education. As main AI technologies we found social robots, augmented reality and intelligent systems. The review also revealed that half of the papers lack a solid pedagogical foundation and a contextualisation under concrete course conditions. Finally, most AI solutions focus mainly on learning outcomes without exploring the teacher needs and impressions. Our findings suggest the need for research to focus on: (a) AIEd localisation to fit the AI context of different regions; (b) contextualisation of the tool design under several course conditions and learning theories; (c) equal attention on teacher agency and autonomy within the AIEd era; and (d) systematisation of the evaluation of sustained pedagogical effects (e.g., cognitive, relational, affective effects) apart from student learning outcomes. We envision that our research can support the design, development and deployment of AI tools in K-12 under such pedagogical considerations, hence contributing to strengthen the ties between pedagogy and AI practices in authentic settings.

This study employs the Technology Readiness and Acceptance Model to uncover the factors influencing university students' intentions to adopt generative artificial intelligence (AI) technologies in higher education. With the rapid integration of Generative AI into academic contexts, understanding what drives students' intention to use these tools is crucial for developing effective pedagogical strategies. The study applies a conceptual framework that incorporates personality traits, perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, compatibility, social influence and attitude towards the use of Generative AI. This study employs a quantitative approach with students currently studying in higher education across the United Kingdom. Findings indicate that optimism and compatibility significantly influence perceived usefulness, while perceived ease of use has a negative impact on intention to use, which contradicts the prevalent sentiment in the adoption literature. Additionally, perceived usefulness and optimism are the greatest positive influences on intention to use Generative AI. The results highlight the importance of aligning AI tools with students' learning needs and fostering positive attitudes to encourage usage. These insights provide valuable recommendations for educators and policymakers aiming to enhance the integration of AI in educational settings, ultimately preparing students for a technology-driven future.

This case study explores the transformation process and educational outcomes of a small rural public elementary school in Taiwan as it transitioned from a traditional school into a Montessori experimental school. Faced with challenges such as low student motivation and limited resources, the school adopted a bottom-up trial strategy to introduce child-centred pedagogy and gradually realised educational innovation within the institutional framework. The principal exhibited visionary leadership, emphasising accompaniment and trust, and fostered a cohesive teaching team. During the reform process, teachers reconstructed their professional identities—shifting from knowledge transmitters to learning facilitators—and established a culture of instructional autonomy. Students improved in learning motivation, concentration and interpersonal interactions, transitioning towards a learning mode characterised by autonomy, collaboration and enquiry. Despite institutional constraints, assessment systems and societal expectations, the school steadily advanced its reform through adaptive policy applications and external collaboration. This case demonstrates that with appropriate leadership, institutional flexibility and cultural support within the teaching team, alternative educational philosophies can yield tangible outcomes in public education systems and provide important insights for developing experimental education in Taiwan. Future research should consider multisite comparative studies across diverse educational and cultural contexts to explore how public Montessori reforms unfold under various systemic conditions. Incorporating student and parent perspectives through participatory methods can offer richer insights into the lived experiences of reform.

L2 teacher boredom is a critical yet underexplored issue that significantly impacts teacher well-being and instructional quality, particularly in English as a foreign language (EFL) contexts. This study investigates the antecedents of L2 teacher boredom, as observed in EFL settings, and the strategies employed to mitigate its impact. Employing a qualitative approach, data were collected from 100 Iranian EFL teachers through open-ended questionnaires and follow-up semi-structured interviews. The findings reveal four primary sources of teacher boredom: student-related factors (e.g., low motivation and misbehaviour), activity-related factors (e.g., repetitive and inauthentic tasks), teaching-related factors (e.g., overuse of the target language and lack of interactive methods) and institution-related factors (e.g., centralised education systems and unsupportive school environments). To address these challenges, teachers adopted strategies such as diversifying activities, integrating the first language (L1) judiciously and fostering autonomy and collegial support. The study underscores the need for systemic changes to empower teachers and enhance engagement, contributing to the development of more effective and satisfying teaching environments.

This paper presents the findings of a meta-analysis on parental involvement and its relationship with the academic achievement of Chinese students. Unlike most meta-analyses that rely on data from published studies, this study draws from 363 representative regional samples, encompassing 399,375 students in mainland China, including 212,072 Year 4 and 187,303 Year 8 students. The analysis revealed that while the effects of overall parental involvement and its specific subdimensions—involvement in learning and involvement in daily life—on academic achievement were positive, they were generally small. Moderator analyses showed that the average prediction of overall parental involvement in students' academic achievement did not significantly differ by socio-economic status (SES). However, the effects of parental involvement in learning and daily life on achievement varied according to SES levels. Additionally, the study found that the mean predictions of overall parental involvement and its subdimensions on achievement were positively moderated by different levels of parent–child relationship, with medium effect sizes. The results also indicated that overall parental involvement and involvement in learning and daily life were more strongly associated with achievement for Year 4 students than for Year 8 students. The significance of these findings is discussed in detail.

This paper explores how meaningful work is conceptualised by recent graduates. Whilst the imperative to maximise economic returns from higher education (HE) endures in HE policy, less attention is given to how meaningful work is and its relationship to values and identities. Based on a qualitative study with recent graduates in the United Kingdom, the findings show that graduates' conceptions of meaningful work centre on three, often interconnected, dimensions: meaning in the work itself as an expression of self and a vehicle for self-actualisation; meaning at work through the context of a working relationship and social relatedness; and meaning from work as a set of perceived societal outcomes. These dimensions emerge as crucial in how graduates frame the value of work and provide a motivational and affective heuristic through which they define what is of value in present and future work. The precarious socio-economic context reinforces the need to achieve meaningful work and shapes the alignment between desired and achievable future selves. There are significant educational and workplace implications for those on both sides of the HE/work nexus. Crucially, there is a need for HE institutions, work organisations and public policy to find ways of supporting graduates to identify and pursue meaningful work.

This paper explores teachers', parents' and pupils' perceptions and described experiences of school toilet policies, provisions and practices within state-funded primary (5–11 years) and secondary (11–16 years) schools in England. In doing so, this research critically examines how school-specific policies and toilet provisions influence children's and young people's use of toilets at school and identifies issues which pupils must navigate within this heavily tabooed space. Seeking to portray a range of perspectives, we present data generated through three mixed-method surveys completed by 96 schoolteachers, 158 parents and 198 secondary school pupils. Adopting an overarching wide-angled lens, we combine descriptive statistics with thematic analysis to detail similarities and nuances of parents', teachers' and pupils' perceptions around (a) accessibility of school toilets, (b) problematic pupil behaviour and (c) provision quality. The different perspectives offered provide a wide-angled lens which allows for a wider dialogue between pupils, parents and teachers. Our key findings underscore the need for standardised, equity-focused guidelines that address both infrastructural inadequacies and behavioural dynamics.